First experience at Tesla dealership drove away unsuccessful and very turned off

[ajdelange]

Ford doesn't have 'stores'. They have dealerships and the dealerships have service centers. Tesla is different. They do have 'stores' and these are colocated with the service centers. They also have 'gallerias' (or whatever they call them) which are also 'stores' in the sense that you can inquire about buying a car there but they do no service there nor, do I believe, can you get a test drive there. In any case there are no salesmen there i.e. no one to sell you a car. Cars are purchased on line. The nice young man or lady who shows you around and/or takes you on your test drive will go online for you and order one for you or search the database of existing inventory for you but the transaction is online by you.

The SCs have employees whose functions are related to service/delivery and, depending on Elon's whim of the moment, others who are there to answer questions, do test drives and help people order cars. OP's error (if you could call it that) seems to be that he went to an SC a few days before the end of a year in which those latter employees, the janitor, Elon and his mother, were all pressed into service/delivery roles in order to deliver the maximum number of vehicles possible before the tax credit expired.

In any case he got a car pretty quickly. All's well that ends well!

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[ajdelange]

duplicate post removed.

 

[ajdelange]

another duplicte removed.. System was a little hung up at the time I tried to post these.

 

[jebinc]

Dont see very many in Fort Collins, co...not that it's not possible, but figured going to a Tesla store is easier than driving around looking for a Tesla...call me crazy...if I see one I will do so...maybe I'll go to the super charger 1 mile from my house.

Go visit a SuperCharging site... In addition to seeing the cars, you can talk to owners while they wait for there 3 to charge.

 

[Mad Dog Mebs]

Denver Service Center, place was packed with year end deliveries...just wanted to look at a model 3, maybe sit in it before I ordered one...had the bug and wanted to dive in the deep end before the truck comes out....I drove 1 hour 15 minutes to get there.

In any event, there's 1 parking spot and I pull half way in before a sales/service person stops me from completing my parking job....looks at my truck and asks me "can I help you" in the crappiest tone/voice I've ever heard. I said yes, I'd like to look at a model 3...to which she said she only has customer cars and it's illegal for me to see one...I said can I look at the outside of one and she said no go to the mall show room, another 25min away....or she could have just let me park and look at the 50 of them sitting in all the spots waiting for delivery...so I backed up and went home.

I'm not articulating it well, I'm pretty chill/low maintenance. I dont know if she thought my 2500HD was destroying the earth, if she was stressed out because it's end of year or what, but it was piss poor customer service, and I wasn't ready for it, wasn't cool.

It happens, one event doesnt define the brand, I'll get over it but it threw me for a loop and expected better...guess I'll let year end calm down and try again at the mall show room.

\I would wonder if she saw the 2500HD as the devil's chariot. So many instances exist of A-holes who happen to drive big trucks rolling coal, or playing chicken with EVs that I bet she thought you were just trying to take advantage of a parking space. Maybe. It is a crappy feeling though. She could have explained the situation in a more friendly manner, no?

 

[Garden_Aum]

Denver Service Center, place was packed with year end deliveries...just wanted to look at a model 3, maybe sit in it before I ordered one...had the bug and wanted to dive in the deep end before the truck comes out....I drove 1 hour 15 minutes to get there.

In any event, there's 1 parking spot and I pull half way in before a sales/service person stops me from completing my parking job....looks at my truck and asks me "can I help you" in the crappiest tone/voice I've ever heard. I said yes, I'd like to look at a model 3...to which she said she only has customer cars and it's illegal for me to see one...I said can I look at the outside of one and she said no go to the mall show room, another 25min away....or she could have just let me park and look at the 50 of them sitting in all the spots waiting for delivery...so I backed up and went home.

I'm not articulating it well, I'm pretty chill/low maintenance. I dont know if she thought my 2500HD was destroying the earth, if she was stressed out because it's end of year or what, but it was piss poor customer service, and I wasn't ready for it, wasn't cool.

It happens, one event doesnt define the brand, I'll get over it but it threw me for a loop and expected better...guess I'll let year end calm down and try again at the mall show room.

My experience at a Mall Showroom was the exact opposite of your experience at the service center. I think your assessment of someone being stressed out is likely very accurate. I can also imagine they may have been a little confused with a 2500HD pulling up at a service center especially if they were in the "we service vehicles" mindset. If I was the person working there (in service mode) my brain would have gone with "I hope he is not here for an oil change...we do not have any".
Anyway, you should definitely schedule a test drive. I think you will have a lot of fun. I also think you will find the experience "underwhelming". The interior is really clean and not full of distracting knobs and buttons. I found my test drive experience to be very relaxing. There are a few adjustments one has to make when driving the car, but they are easily learned. Make sure to note the way the HVAC works in the Model 3. According to Ryan McCaffrey, the cyber truck has a similar setup.

 

[SentinelOne]

In the end it worked out and I'm happy, car is awesome, but my expectations are and always will be to have someone that works in customer service (or is even a decent human), to at least communicate and not chase me off. I wasn't doing anything wrong besides parking at a location I thought I could look at or even test drive a car...turns out the car I bought was at that site on that day...30 seconds of time spent talking to me could have helped me to buy it that day and saved 2 hours of unnecessary driving, in lieu of just chasing me off.

All good, not like other car buying experiences aren't without their challenges, and guessing if it wasn't at end of year that it would be more normal...but my persistence netted me an additional $2875 in Colorado/federal tax credits so it was worth chasing the pre year end delivery!

 

[Idaho_7]

It would be interesting to see the reaction now if you were to pull up, front and center, with your new Model 3 to the local RAM Dealership and ask to see, sit in and test drive a TRX Enjoy, hope it all works out.

 

[SentinelOne]

It would be interesting to see the reaction now if you were to pull up, front and center, with your new Model 3 to the local RAM Dealership and ask to see, sit in and test drive a TRX Enjoy, hope it all works out.

I'd prob take my truck to avoid a repeat, that being said, I'll impatiently wait for my Tri motor...are we there yet?

 

[SentinelOne]

Sorry that happened to you. When i was first in that mode, i just went to a local supercharger and checked out a model 3 and ended up chatting with the owner and got a test ride. It was kind of unexpected and neat. Since then, I see telsas here at work and all around town. Times are changing for sure.
Maybe schedule a test drive or rent one for the day/week to see what ya think.

all good, old post, bought M3P Dec 28, 2019...haven't been to a service center yet, mobile came out and installed garage door opener, 3rd party did MPP Coilover install, that's it! Couldn't be happier except makes me want the CT desperately...full on convert, drank the cooled, trying to talk wife into the new X...

 

[Luke42]

looks at my truck and asks me "can I help you" in the crappiest tone/voice I've ever heard. I said yes, I'd like to look at a model 3...

Whenever I've visited Tesla stores they start asking questions which not-so-subtly ask if I can afford the car.

The thing is, I have to lie in order to be taken seriously. I drive cheap used cars, because I don't value ICE cars very much.

I don't have to pay very much to get a nice ICE, and I'm able and willing to pay Tesla prices for EV -- because I get something for the high price. But there's no point in pissing away money on a new ICE vehicle, and winning a spending contest is like punching yourself in the face harder than the other guy.

But the sales-folk are expecting me to brag about how much I paid for my ICE car before they put any time in to me. They aren't much interested in talking to me when I tell then what I actually do drive.

I really wanted to learn more details about the cars -- but it was not to be.

The last time I visited a Tesla store, I answered the "what do you drive" question by just stating my income. After that, I wasn't deliberately-ignored like my other visits. ??‍

I don't like playing rich-guy pecking order games. They did let me look over the cars without bothering me after they (incorrectly) profiled me, but the Tesla stores haven't exactly been a positive experience for me.

I plan to visit the Tesla store exactly once to test-drive the CT and make sure the interior proportions will work for my family. After that I will order online and stay away.

If the SentinalOne's RAM 2500 looks like anything other than a rich guy's trophy-truck, I wouldn't be be surprised of they incorrectly profiled him-or-her, too.

 

[MEDICALJMP]

I plan to visit the Tesla store exactly once to test-drive the CT and make sure the interior proportions will work for my family. After that I will order online and stay away.

I am very surprised you have not ordered a Cybertruck already? Curious as to why as the upside of early ordering is low $ output and faster receiving vehicle. Waiting until you can see one in person is nothing but downside in my view.

 

[Luke42]

I am very surprised you have not ordered a Cybertruck already? Curious as to why as the upside of early ordering is low $ output and faster receiving vehicle. Waiting until you can see one in person is nothing but downside in my view.

I have a reservation for a tri-motor Cybertruck.

A reservation is not the same thing as an order. The deposit is higher, the options are more specific, and the paperwork is a lot more like a regular car purchase.

AFIAK, Tesla hasn't taken any orders for the Cybertruck yet. At least I haven't heard of anyone getting the "It's time to configure your Cybertruck" emails yet. I plan to get a test drive before acting on that email.

 

[Diehard]

winning a spending contest is like punching yourself in the face harder than the other guy.

Love it

I have purchased most of my vehicles used from auction or other people just to reduce my interaction with sales folks at the dealership. Although they are much better these days than they used to be, some of them are really talented in getting under my skin and like most guys when I am pissed, I am prone to do stupid things that get me in trouble. That is why I am looking forward to the CT purchase. Tesla realized early on the secret to happiness is minimizing human interaction. They just have not figured out how to eliminate it yet. I suppose with FSD, the truck could come to your house for a test drive.

The ignoring thing wouldn’t bother me That much. It is a good filtering process for the right sales person to get the commission. The excessive B.S. and pressure tactics are my Achilles' heel. Next time a sales person ignores you, instead of getting pissed, try to think of this:

 

[Luke42]

The ignoring thing wouldn’t bother me That much. It is a good filtering process for the right sales person to get the commission.

It doesn't bother me that much -- I got to look at the cars.

I didn't learn much during those visits to the Tesla showrooms, though. As an engineer-MBA, I recognize that this was a wasted opportunity for Tesla to engage a fan of the brand.

It did throw me for a loop, though. I expect that kind of treatment at a BMW dealership, because the BMW brand is all about conspicuous spending -- and I am not. I'm mentally prepared for that the few times I've set foot in a place like that.

This was only worth ranting about because it wasn't the premium anti-dealer experience I was expecting from Tesla. [shrug]

P.S. Key & Peele are awesome!